Machine for making beaded strands



July 3, 1951 M. H. STONE 2,559,479

MACHINE FOR-MAKING BEADED STRANDS Filed Jan. 25, 1949 TTORNEY Patented July 3, 1951 MACHINE FOR MAKING BEADED STRANDS Maxwell H. Stone, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Eitinger Bead Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation Application January 25, 1949, Serial No. 72,689

This invention relates to machines for making beaded novelties, by which is meant an array of beads strung along a thread, which to distinguish from other threads hereinafter mentioned, will be herein referred to as the beadthread. The beads are maintained in spaced distances apart by means of one or more other threads, which will be herein referred to as the spacing-thread or threads. Lastly, there may be one or more threads which extend parallel with the bead-thread (and are not twisted as are the spacing-threads) which will be herein referred to as the filling-thread.

The prime object of this invention is to provide a machine for making beaded novelties of the type described which has two arrays of interrelated beads; an allied object is to provide a machine for making beaded novelties having more than one array of beads. (To facilitate exposition, the description of the new beaded novelty and the machine for making it will be confined to the two-bead or duplex beaded novelty, but it will be understood that the objects of invention and description of the machine apply equally to novelties having more than two arrays of beads.)

Further objects of invention are to provide a machine as described which will make a du.- plex beaded novelty in which the beads of the two arrays are identical; a machine, in which the beads of the two arrays differ in color or in composition or in both, or in size; a machine for making duplex bead novelties in which the spacing of the beads may be varied; a machine for making bead novelties which will in general enable the design to be varied.

Another object of the invention is to provide a duplex beaded novelty which can be moved readily and more rapidly sewed to garments, and which may be sewed with the ordinary sewing machine, thus dispensing with the need of the special zig-zag machine now used for sewing beaded novelties. Still another object is to provide a duplex beaded novelty which will have uses additional to the customary use of simple beaded novelties as garment trimmings; such new uses include use as watch-fob, wrist-watch straps, bracelets. etc.

For the attainment of the foregoing and such other objects as may appear or be pointed out 4 Claims. (Cl. 57-3) herein, I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention on the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the machine of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top View thereof.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the central part or" the machine, on enlarged scale, showing details thereof, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged more or less schematic showing of one form of the duplex beaded novelty of the invention.

Referring first to Fig. 5, it Will be seen that the duplex beaded novelty comprises two arrays of beads, a left array designated I0 and a right array designated 20. The beads I0, 20 may be made of glass, plastic, bone, mother-of-pearl, metal, or other material and may be of different colors. The left array of beads I0 are strung on a bead-thread il, while the right array of beads 20 are strung on a bead-thread 2 I. Additionally, there may be one or more fitting-threads, as indicated by the line designated l and broken oifk at top and bottom. Two spacing-threads are shown, one shown in solid line and designated 3l and the other shown in double open line 4I (to distinguish the two),

The beads are supplied by the manufacturer already strung on their bead-threads, the beads being loosely strung thereon and touching one another (i. e. not spaced therealong). Such strung beads usually are supplied on spools, such as the spool 29, Fig. 2, on which is contained the beads which will form the right array 20, Fig. 5. Two such spools are supported in overhead relation, as shown in Fig. 2 with reference tothe right-hand spool 29. The two bead supplies are fed to the machine from the left and right as shown in Fig. 1 and again in Fig. 4, at l l-lil and 2l-2, respectively.

Referring to Fig. 1 and to Fig. 2, the machine frame has a table 2 on the upper side of which is secured a bracket 3. Passing through the table 2 and secured thereto at its lower end is a vertical tube 8, the upper end of which is held by instrumentalities subsequently described, but which are supported at the upper end of bracket 3 (as clearly seen in Fig. 1). strumentalities is a horizontal spindle 4 which is One of these in-I rotatively held at the upper end of bracket 3 and has secured at its left end, Fig. l, a drive pulley and has secured at its right end a bevel pinion 6. The latter meshes with an upper bevel gear 46 and with a lower bevel gear 36. As best seen in Fig. 4, the lower bevel gear 36 is secured to a tubular spindle 38 through which the aforesaid stationary tube 8 passes. Near its lower end tubular spindle 38 has a large flange 3l. The upper bevel gear 46, Fig. 4, is rotative about the tubular spindle 38; the bevel gear 45 has on its upper side a large ange 4'! corresponding to the flange 37 of the lower bevel gear 36. On the lower ange 3l is mounted a bobbin 39 for one (3l) of the afore-described spacing threads, while on the upper flange 4'! is mounted a bobbin for the other (4I) of the pair of spacing-threads (the operation of which will be subsequently continued).

Reverting to Figs. 1 2, a second bracket is secured to the underside of frame table 2, and

is U-shaped, Fig. 2, to rotatively support a horizontal spindle I4, at the right end, Fig. 2, of which is secured a worm wheel I5 which meshes with a worm I6, Fig. 1, secured at the lower end cf a vertical spindle II which is rotatively held in table 2, through which it passes. At the upper end of spindle Il is secured a pulley i3 which is drivenby a vbelt 53 from a pulley 33 secured to the aforesaid tubular spindle 33 (driven via bevel gears 36 and 6 from the drive pulley 5).

Secured at the left end, Fig. 2, of spindle I4 is a roller I8 which is frictionally engaged by another roller 28. The latter roller (23) is supported on a bracket arm 58 which is, in turn, supported from the machine bracket l. Roller 28 is spring-pressed (not shown) into frictional engagement with roller I8.`

Also secured on a horizontal spindle 54, Fig. 2, is a pulley I2 which is connected by a belt 52 to a pulley 22'secured on a horizontal spindle 24 rotatively mounted on a U-shaped, floor bracket Il. At the left end of spindle 24 is a take-up spool 25.

Again referring to Fig. 4, the upper bevel gear 46v has a short upwardly-extending tubular portion 28, at the upper end of which is secured a plate or small disc 44, shown also in plan in Fig.

` 3. Disc 44 has a central opening 45 and an upsftanding annular ridge 43 interrupted by an open mouth at 42 at one point of the circle.

In operation, the left-hand bead supply Iii-I i and the right-hand bead supply 2-2I are entered through the4 central opening 45, surrounded by annular ridge 43, of the disc 44. As shown in Fig/s. 1 and 4, and also Fig. 3, the two bead supplies enter at points diametrically or 180 opposed. The spacing-thread 4I from upper bobbin449 passes over the edge of disc 44 and over the annular ridge 4,3 thereof, to enter through central openingV 45.. As` shown in enlarged Fig. 4, the tubular spindle 38 has a longitudinal groove or passage for the spacing-thread 3l which passes upwardly through groove passage 35 to a point above the topA of the stationary inner tube 8.

It is thus seen that the two bead-threads Il, 2'I (together with theirrespective beads Iii and 20) and the two spacing-threads 3l, 4I enter 'the upper end of inner stationary tube 8. The duplex beaded novelty is formed within the inner tube 8- (as will be more fully described) and the iin- Y ished length-,designated S-is passed arcuately around the frictional rollers ISS-28. When these are rotated they exert a frictional drag on finished length 9 causing the same to traverse through the machine; the finished length 9 com- 4 ing from drag or feed rollers wound up on take-up spool 26.

The bead supplies IU-I I, Zil-ZI are directed toward the disc 44 at a suiciently steep angle to cause the beads I, 20 to gravitate towards the disc entry 45. But further downward movement of the beads Il), 25, on their respective threads EI, 2i, is normally blocked by the annular ridge 43. But when disc 44 rotates, a single bead is released to enter central opening 45 each time the opening 42 passes the bead supply; inasmuch as there are two such supplies IEB-I I and Eil-2L two beads are released in every revolution.

It will be observed that upper bevel gear 48 carrying the bobbin 49- for spacing-thread 4I, rotates in one direction while the lower bevel gear 3l, carrying the bobbin 39 for the other spacingthread 3|, rotates in the opposite directions. Hence the two spacing-threads II and 2l are twisted in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 5, and partially embrace the right and left beads, 2B and I, respectively, in the manner shown in that ligure and hold them firmly in spaced relationship.

By adjusting the speed of rotation of the feeding or drag rollers Ill-'23 relative to the speed of rotation of the bead-feeding disc 44, the spacing between the beads may be varied; in this manner different duplex designs may be effected.

I claim:

l. In a machine for making a beaded-novelty from supplies of beads loosely strung on a beadu thread, in combination, a stationary tube, frictional-drag rollers disposed below the lower end Ill-28 is then of said tube, a disc mounted for rotation above the upper end of said tube, saiddisc having a central opening aligned with said tube and an annular ridge upstanding on its top surface, said annular ridge having an open sector at one point in its circle, the bead-thread of said bead supplies being inclined at a sufficient steep angle to the said disc to cause the beads to gravitate thereto, the beads being normally blocked from entry into said central opening of the disc and the inner tube by saidannular ridge of the disc, means for feeding at least one spacing-thread at the top oi said inner tube, and means for turning said drag-rollers, said spacing-thread means and said disc whereby ,a single bead is released to enter said inner tube each time the said sector opening of the disc passes a bead sup ply, said beads entering the tube at spaced intervals and locked in said spaced relation by said spacing-thread means.

2. The combination according to claim l wherein two said bead supplies'are provided and disposed diametrically opposite each other relative to said disc.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein two'said spacing threads are provided, ysaid spacing-thread means f or each of the two threads turning in opposite directions to interlock the beads of said twoV b ead supplies inspaced and staggered relation with one another.

4. In a machine for making a beaded-novelty from supplies of beads loosely strung on a beadthread, in combination, a stationary tube, frictional-drag'rollers disposed below the lower end of said tube, rotative means located above the upper end of said tube, having a central opening aligned therewith, the bead-thread of said bead supplies being at asulicient steep angle to the said disc to cause the beads to gravitate thereto, the beads being normally blocked'from entry into said central opening of the rotative means and the inner tube, means for feeding at least one spacing-thread at the top of said inner tube, and means for turning said drag-rollers, said spacing-thread means and said rotating means, whereby a single bead is released to enter said inner tube at each said bead supply upon each revolution of the rotative means, said beads entering the tube at spaced intervals and locked in said spaced relation by said spacing-thread means.

MAXWELL H. STONE.

y REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

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